Mahia Pepper

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It's gross, but grossness by itself doesn't violate securities laws.<p>A vital function of the financial system is to shift risk, but that is mostly a euphemism. Finance can't make risks go away, or even really move them all that much. When the financial system shifts the risk of X happening from Y to …

These investors take big risks betting on the market, but the reward has usually been pretty significant.<p>Let's not forget, five hedge fund managers made over $1 billion in 2015.<p>Based on recent outlooks, however, the reign of these "masters" may be coming to an end.<p>Everywhere you look, it appears …

But we’re better off believing in it anyway.<p>For centuries, philosophers and theologians have almost unanimously held that civilization as we know it depends on a widespread belief in free will—and that losing this belief could be calamitous. Our codes of ethics, for example, assume that we can …

Our society is deeply conflicted about the source of excellence. On one hand, we are fascinated with child prodigies, portraying them as wonders of nature. On the other hand, we love a good “overcoming adversity” story, as it inspires us all to greatness.<p>But when it comes down to actually making …

For those who didn't go to prestigious schools, don't come from money, and aren't interested in sports and booze—it's near impossible to gain access to the best paying jobs.<p>As income inequality in the U.S. strikes historic highs, many people are starting to feel that the American dream is either …

When Silicon Valley venture capitalists get themselves into image trouble, it’s usually because they’ve been too candid with their low estimate of other people’s intelligence. For example, after India recently prevented Facebook from offering free Internet service there, Marc Andreessen suggested …

In the age of the digital hermit, a psychologist explains what it means to avoid other people—and what to do about it.<p>People today might not actually be avoiding social interaction any more than they did in past decades, but they’re certainly more vocal about it. The rise of digital communication …

Here's why Swedish college students still graduate with a ton of debt.<p>Swedish colleges and universities are free. Yep. Totally free.<p>But students there still end up with a lot of debt. The average at the beginning of 2013 was roughly 124,000 Swedish krona ($19,000). Sure, the average US student was …

What makes a venture capital investment successful? Some of the most interesting data on this question comes from an analysis published last year by the venture capital firm First Round Capital. The firm’s unique data set comprises information on over 300 companies and nearly 600 founders, …

It’s a common adage in Silicon Valley that 90% of startups ultimately fail. To understand why that’s the case, a pair of researchers meticulously pored over 193 blog posts—startup postmortems, if you will—written by founders examining what went wrong.<p>It was a heartwrenching experience for Kerry …

When people see themselves as self-made, they tend to be less generous and public-spirited.<p>I’m a lucky man. Perhaps the most extreme example of my considerable good fortune occurred one chilly Ithaca morning in November 2007, while I was playing tennis with my longtime friend and collaborator, the …

Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency. I’m one of them.<p>Since 2013, the Federal Reserve Board has conducted a survey to “monitor the financial and economic status of American consumers.” Most of the data in the latest survey, frankly, are less than …

It might seem obvious that, for most people, happiness is positively correlated with friendships. But a paper published last month in the British Journal of Psychology found one notable exception: Extremely intelligent people become less happy when they spend more time with their …

<b>Like most 25-year-olds,</b> Julia Rozovsky wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She had worked at a consulting firm, but it wasn’t a good match. Then she became a researcher for two professors at Harvard, which was interesting but lonely. Maybe a big corporation would be a better fit. Or …

THEY learn to read at age 2, play Bach at 4, breeze through calculus at 6, and speak foreign languages fluently by 8. Their classmates shudder with envy; their parents rejoice at winning the lottery. But to paraphrase T. S. Eliot, their careers tend to end not with a bang, but with a …